Babies Born to Diabetic and Non-Diabetic Mothers?

Diabetic pregnancy is characterized by poor pregnancy outcomes. This is a prospective cohort study comprising 251 newborn-mother pairs concerns comparison of groups of infants born to diabetic mothers (pre- gestational and gestational) with control infants born to apparently healthy non-diabetic mothers on their growth, morbidities and feeding patterns. Detailed anthropometric measurements of infants including weight, recumbent length, and the circumferences [head, mid arm, chest, abdomen, thigh and calf] were taken at birth in the hospital, and subsequently through home visits at 3, 6, 9, and 12 months of age. Data were analyzed using SPSS and WHO-Anthro softwares. Accelerated growth from intrauterine lives in infants of both pre-gestational and gestational diabetic mothers were normalised by 3rd month when they got rid of maternal metabolic influences and started their own trajectories of growth. But later at 12 month, growth was slowed down and this might be a pre-rebound phenomenon. Babies of diabetic mothers usually suffered more from common morbidities than normal babies. Exclusive breastfeeding was almost absent in this population and predominant breastfeeding was also low.